Frutta Bowls Developing Grocerant Niche Growth

 

The halo of ‘Better-4-You’ food and beverage is a mainstay of the grocerant niche and companies that want to drive top line growth and bottom line profits continue to follow consumers and migrate to the center of the grocerant niche for success according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, for those of you who did not know, Frutta Bowls, a WOWorks brand and the nation’s fastest-growing superfoods cafe franchise, expanded its grocery store-within-store locations with multi-unit franchisee partners Curtis High and Jordan Rideout. The pair recently opened the brand’s first franchisee-owned Frutta Bowls restaurant in a grocery store in Doylestown, PA.

So, just what does that mean? Well, Curtis High and Jordan Rideout are owners of eight Saladworks locations throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware. While Curtis had a restaurant business background working with Yum! Brands, Jordan worked for Home Depot as a store manager for ten years. They came together in 2007 to purchase three Saladworks franchise agreements. As they saw success with their restaurants, they spent the next several years acquiring and opening more Saladworks locations in their region. Today, they have five restaurants in central Pennsylvania and two in Delaware. This is the duo’s first Frutta Bowls restaurant and first store-within-a-store grocery location.

Then Curtis and Jordan decided to invest in a Frutta Bowls franchise because of its focus on fresh, health-halo ingredients and its natural fit with their Saladworks restaurants. “When we reviewed and visited Frutta Bowls restaurants after WOWorks’ acquisition, we immediately saw how their menu of fresh smoothies, bowls and bites appeal to young people and families who are trying to find healthy and convenient meals that also taste great,” says Jordan Rideout, co-owner of Frutta Bowls. “We were especially attracted to the possibility of co-branding Frutta Bowls and Saladworks restaurants. If this Frutta Bowls location does well, we intend on co-branding all our existing Saladworks locations with Frutta Bowls restaurants.”

So, the Frutta Bowls grocery store location in Doylestown, PA, is expected to create 10-15 jobs. To open this Frutta Bowls store-within-a-store location, WOWorks facilitated several interviews between Curtis and Jordan with the grocery store chain executives and coordinated walk-throughs in the franchisees’ stand-alone restaurants. With attractive back-end efficiencies; a quicker timeline to build out and open; and menu options that cover all dayparts, Curtis and Jordan are hoping they will be able to forge a positive relationship with the grocery company to open several more locations with the chain.

Kelly Roddy, CEO of WOWorks, stated, “We are happy to welcome Curtis High and Jordan Rideout to the Frutta Bowls family,” … “Our grocery store and co-branding restaurant model is helping our franchisee network expand in non-traditional verticals and increase revenue with their existing WOWorks’ restaurant investment. Co-branding allows franchisees to open multiple restaurant brands together, tap into several dayparts, and enjoy greater efficiencies due to shared back-end operations and equipment.”

If you are looking to get into the grocerant niche think about the fact that WOWorks is actively seeking qualified franchise partners interested in multi-unit and single-unit ownership, preferably individuals with business experience and/or franchise experience, and a passion for serving guests.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.